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Necrotica View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Queen's Genre Tag
    Posted: July 28 2015 at 07:30
I can definitely understand why Queen would be considered prog-related on the site considering the more poppy and arena rock-oriented side of the band. However, I'd certainly be inclined to consider them eclectic prog as well because of their multitude of styles and overall variety. It's an interesting thing to bring up, because if Queen only made their first 4 albums and nothing after that, I'd imagine they'd be considered a full-fledged prog band on the site. I think the same would go for Journey's first three albums as well. It's just a bit interesting to see how entire discographies can affect the way a band is labelled on different websites. 

Edited by Necrotica - July 28 2015 at 07:30
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 28 2015 at 07:43
I disagree. Queen were never a prog band - even during those early releases. They, like thousands of their contemporaries, flirted around with the notion that you can stretch and experiment with the rock genre, but they never made a genuine prog album imo. They were a hard rock act with theatrical tendencies much thanks to Freddie.

Also, in order for a band to be included in a proper prog sub on PA (both proto and related are not prog) it has to have at least one fully fledged prog album under it's belt. Queen, like Bowie, never produced that.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 28 2015 at 08:12
I agree with Guldbamsen, they were never a prog band.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 28 2015 at 08:14
As much as I love Queen, I agree with you guys.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 28 2015 at 10:40
Hmmm...Queen II. Let's see, mythological creatures and legends? Check. Wildly fluctuating time signatures, even to the point of using two time signatures simultaneously? Check. Some pieces played in a classical mode? Check. Conceptual in nature (Side White and Side Black)? Check. The use of odd instruments not often played on rock albums like a harpsichord, string piano and stylophone? Check. Extended instrumentals and songs seguing into the next one? Check. The use of literary and fine art allusions, like on "White Queen" (referring to a Robert Graves book) and "The Fairy Fellers Master-Stroke" (a painting by Richard Dadd in the Tate Gallery)? Check.
 
I would suggest that this album in 1974 was in line with what we now in hindsight refer to as "Prog" artists were doing at the time. Like Genesis (The Lamb, with relatively short songs strung together), Tull (War Child, no song over 5:30), Procol Harum (Exotic Birds and Fruit), Supertramp (Crime of the Century), ELO (Eldorado), or Traffic (where the Eagle Flies), for instance. Then again, it is much like what Zeppelin, The Who, Deep Purple, Frank Zappa, Robin Trower, Blue Öyster Cult, David Bowie, Roxy Music and Black Sabbath were doing as well -- much of it what could be considered prog.
 
Which leads me to the theory that there was no such thing as "prog" at the time, but merely insanely talented bands having the uncommon (and once in a lifetime) leeway to do whatever the hell they wanted to do whenever the hell they wanted to do it without much interference from record companies.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 28 2015 at 12:32
Too late now! Tongue
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 28 2015 at 14:38
It's too late indeed.....but then there are other bands like The Who and Zep who were never really prog either yet they get listed here as prog related and people argue about which of their songs are the 'proggiest'.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 28 2015 at 15:29
There's one difference Doc, I actually listen to Zep and the Who.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 28 2015 at 15:40
Originally posted by dr wu23 dr wu23 wrote:

It's too late indeed.....but then there are other bands like The Who and Zep who were never really prog either yet they get listed here as prog related and people argue about which of their songs are the 'proggiest'.

Wink


Prog related and proto prog are not prog. I thought we'd been over this?

You may find acts in both of those subs who did some prog tunes but never a full album. Bowie did Width of a Circle fx just like Zep did Achilles Last Stand.



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 28 2015 at 15:42
Originally posted by SteveG SteveG wrote:

There's one difference Doc, I actually listen to Zep and the Who.
 
And I'm sure that, like me, there wasn't a different designation in the early 70s for Zep and the Who as opposed to Tull, Yes, Genesis and ELP. To me, they were all "rock" and I listened to all of them without putting them into fancy little boxes.
 
You put In the Court of the Crimson King on the turntable, then came Floyd, then Sabbath, then Yes, then Tull, etc. I don't think I ever heard, "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't listen to Zeppelin, I only listen to P-R-A-A-A-W-G." LOL
 
Now, pass the damn joint, don't bogart it.Wink
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 28 2015 at 15:48
I think it works much the same way today. It's only on here people use these boxes - at least I hope so. The boxes here are only there as navigational tools, nothing more.
When I'm with friends and we're listening to music there are perhaps two boxes: weird sh*t and banana-flavoured.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 28 2015 at 15:54
^Thumbs Up
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2015 at 13:34
I think that early Queen albums could be easily viewed as heavy prog. At least they're no less proggy than Uriah Heep stuff for example.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 07 2015 at 03:34
Queen at their heydays (let's forget their mediocre 80s albums)?

Rock.









p.s. Same as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bruce Springsteen and E-Street Band and so on.


Edited by Svetonio - August 07 2015 at 03:35
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 07 2015 at 03:40
Originally posted by The Dark Elf The Dark Elf wrote:

Hmmm...Queen II. Let's see, mythological creatures and legends? Check. Wildly fluctuating time signatures, even to the point of using two time signatures simultaneously? Check. Some pieces played in a classical mode? Check. Conceptual in nature (Side White and Side Black)? Check. The use of odd instruments not often played on rock albums like a harpsichord, string piano and stylophone? Check. Extended instrumentals and songs seguing into the next one? Check. (...)

e.g. The Who has all of that but they're also still to be Rock.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 07 2015 at 06:36
Isnt progressive rock also somethign that was built up later?

I mean, like some comments above, people back then did not necessarily separate JT from LZ. But then, 20 years later, we saw that this made sense and the artists itself re0think their music and say "oh, yeah, perhaps we were doing something like 'prog' ".

In this way, except if I miss something, Queen never saw itself as a progressive rock band.

Am I right?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 08 2015 at 10:27
Prog reated is fine for Queen based on their overall output, but Queen II is certainly a prog album IMO.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 08 2015 at 11:34
Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:

Prog reated is fine for Queen based on their overall output, but Queen II is certainly a prog album IMO.

Explain in detail ..no less than 250 words why Queen 2 is prog.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 08 2015 at 12:30
Originally posted by dr wu23 dr wu23 wrote:

Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:

Prog reated is fine for Queen based on their overall output, but Queen II is certainly a prog album IMO.


Explain in detail ..no less than 250 words why Queen 2 is prog.

Wink


No!

Dark Elf's justification is near as damn it the same as mine, so I'll not duplicate.

Besides, Freddie sometimes wore tights! What more do you need? A flute and cod piece?!

I heard that Gentle Giant used to support Queen in the early days. I'm not offering that up as some of prog justification for Queen being prog of course, but an interesting factoid nonethless..
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 25 2015 at 12:31
The prog versus everything else thing was a consequence of pop culture. As Ian Gillan (prog? Not prog?) explained in an interview in ... '85 I think, pop fans could whizz off and see Purple or Marc Bolan and there was no hassle man. But in the 80s if you wnated to go see Adam And The Ants one week and Iron maiden the next you had to go in disguise.

Really, the awareness of style and cultural identity (kind of tribal) determined one aspect (the fans' view of what is and what should probably not be.) The bands - "insanely talented" (yes!).... made music while the rest of the world got into fashion etc.


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